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06
Aug
Sexual assault, violence and bullying: Harrogate Army Foundation College’s long history of allegations
This morning (August 6) the Army Foundation College in Harrogate made national headlines after fresh allegations of sexual abuse, rape and bullying.
According to the BBC investigation, which you can read here, four women who attended the training college over the past five years said the incidents happened when they were 17.
These are not the first to have traumatic experiences while attending the college.
The Penny Pot Lane college, which is the only basic junior training site in the British Army for recruits under the age of 18, has been dogged by allegations of abuse and bullying in recent years despite being praised by Ofsted.
Since the Stray Ferret launched in 2020, we have regularly reported on allegations of sexual misconduct and violence towards the teenagers.
Here are just some of the incidents we have covered.
September 2025: 43 reports of sexual offences and violence in four years
The Stray Ferret submitted a freedom of information (FOI) request to North Yorkshire Police seeking the number of investigations opened at the college between August 2023 and July 2025.
The response revealed five sexual offences alleged to have happened at the college were reported to police in 2024, and a further five had already been reported by July 7 2025.
Another FOI sought the nature of those alleged offences – and they included allegations of rape and sexual assault.
Breakdown of crimes recorded at Harrogate Army Foundation College. Published July 2025.
From 2023 to 2025 there were 11 sexual offences and 19 incidents of violence against the person recorded at the Army Foundation College.
No details were given as to whether any of the alleged incidents involved recruits or staff at the college, nor did the police disclose how many offences – if any – led to someone being charged.
A previous freedom of information response published by North Yorkshire Police in October 2023 revealed nine rapes, two incidents of voyeurism and two sexual assaults had been reported at the college between July 2022 and August 2023.
When we approached the Ministry of Defence at the time about the nature of alleged offences recorded at the college, an army spokesperson said:
We take any allegations of criminal or abusive activity by or against our personnel extremely seriously and have robust procedures in place to address any such behaviour, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for all our students and staff.
The most recent Ofsted report on welfare and duty of care in the armed forces highlighted that high standards of care, welfare, and safeguarding are deeply embedded in Harrogate’s training programmes.
The Army Foundation College transforms civilians to soldiers, is a driver for social mobility and works hard to ensure that every junior soldier enjoys a promising start to their military career in a safe and welcoming environment.
September 2024: Attempted suicide, drug use and bullying
Drug use, bullying and even an attempted suicide all took place at Harrogate Army Foundation College (AFC), a whistleblower alleged.
The whistleblower, who wanted to be known as Lach to protect his identity, wished to share his experience as a former recruit of the college.
He told the Stray Ferret that once friendship groups are formed “if one group upsets another group, that's when it gets a bit physical”.
He said:
For example, we were in a lesson one time and two of the junior soldiers followed this lad out to the bathroom and kicked him in the stomach. That happened quite a lot.
On my last or second-last night, I got in an altercation myself and I came out of it with a lot of blood all over my nose and a cut on my eye.
Lach added staff “didn’t do much” if they found out about the fights, but added some harboured a “f*** it, fight it out” mentality.
The Stray Ferret has blocked out any identifying features in the image.
The above images are stills from a video taken by Lach. He forwarded the video to Child Rights International Network (CRIN), which works to share testimonies of former recruits at the college. It shared these testimonies with the Stray Ferret.
The video appears to show a recruit hitting another recruit with a belt.
Lach also cited an occasion when a recruit allegedly tried to take their own life.
He said:
The worst moment was when someone tried to commit suicide on exercise.
[It was] a recruit who was getting bullied, he got name-called a lot. I didn’t see it myself but it wasn’t just rumours – the lieutenant commanding our section told us what happened. Then later, one of the education staff filled out more of the details.
Lach also alleged recruits managed to sneak drugs and vapes into the college.
He claims to have witnessed a 16-year-old recruit “sniffing cocaine” in a room at the college.
Lach eventually left the college before completing his course, and now says he doesn’t think you should be allowed to join the army before the age of 18.
Read the full interview, as well as the Army and Ofsted’s response, here.
November 2021: Parents call for college to close after abuse claims
Parents said the college was ‘unsafe’ and said it should be closed, after allegations of physical and verbal abuse were made.
Mum Alison Blackwell’s son died aged 17 while serving in the army.
She told the CRIN:
My son told me he was hit, slapped, pushed, kicked and verbally abused by staff. He said he felt humiliated by this treatment and he never expected to be treated this way. He knew the training would be tough but this was abuse and the staff were power crazy.
My son started drinking heavily and was very withdrawn, he rang me to tell me he was handing in his letter to leave. He told me his request was ripped up in his face. He was only 17 years old and devastated at not being able to leave. My son died last year while still serving in the army.
Kevin, the father of a recruit who joined the college in 2015 said:
My son had been bullied... he and the other recruits were talked down to, called the c-word and the f-word constantly, which seems at odds with AFC’s good Ofsted rating for health and well-being.
I saw first-hand how the young soldiers were marched and drilled, brought into line. I saw lads who were limping, some with crutches, also being drilled and marched, trying in vain to keep up with the rest of the platoon. My son said that some keeled over and fainted as they marched and stood to attention.
Charlotte Poad, whose son joined the college in 2016 said:
I overheard several conversations with his fellow recruits discussing 'bathroom beatings' and 'things going too far'. He also let slip he was actively encouraged to attend strip clubs by the staff members in charge of his group. We know that staff bullied and abused the young recruits, as well as encouraging fighting amongst peers.
He is a completely different person since his time at Harrogate. He has attempted suicide and his mental health is permanently damaged.
Read the full story here.
November 2021: Instructor demoted for punching recruits
Corporal Kimberley Hey, who was part of the directing staff at the college, told junior recruits 'you're mine now, bitches' and punched the ones who claimed to be the hardest.
Cpl Kimberley Hey. Photo: Solent News and Photo Agency
Following a court martial, Corporal Hey was found to have hit one 16-year-old in the stomach on his first day of training and delivered a similar blow to another recruit because he had 'smirked' at her.
Reducing the 34-year-old in rank to Lance Corporal, Judge Advocate Alistair McGrigor told her that although the punches were at a 'low level' she had 'abused' her relationship with the recruits and her acts had the potential to 'erode public trust' in the armed forces' training.
Read the full story here.
December 2021: Five girls report rape or sexual assault
The number, which refers to reports between 2015 and 2021, was released in response to a question in Parliament in December 2021.
Sexual assault allegations by junior soldiers in the British Army came to light in October following a freedom of information request to the Ministry of Defence by the CRIN.
The MoD revealed there had been 41 complaints of rape or sexual assault by under 18s in the army between 2015 and 2021.
Government junior defence minister Leo Docherty said in a written response to a question on the subject that five of these complaints were from young females based at Harrogate.
The Stray Ferret and Army Foundation College
The Stray Ferret has approached the Ministry of Defence about visiting Harrogate Army Foundation College multiple times.
After publishing Lach’s account, a reliable source told us the college can be a life-changingly positive experience for so many recruits. They wanted us to speak to some of those recruits, as well as see what life is like behind the Pennypot Lane gates.
The MoD initially agreed to this and set a date in November 2024 for the Stray Ferret to visit the college and speak to some of the recruits.
We were later told the visit had been cancelled and we had "not been approved".
A spokesperson for the MoD told the Stray Ferret in March 2025, after our investigations into sexual harassment and misogyny:
There is no place for bullying, harassment or discrimination in the military. This Government is totally committed to making the reforms that are needed to stamp out inappropriate behaviour and hold people to account.
Some important changes have been introduced, including a zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment, establishing the Victim Witness Care Unit, and powerful sanctions to deal with unacceptable behaviour. But we recognise there is much more to do.
Our Government is creating the first ever Armed Forces Commissioner - a new independent champion with the power to investigate these matters - and Minister Al Carns will lead a fresh programme of work to give this issue the proper attention and focus it deserves.
We are always keen to report on stories about the local area, including ensuring those in power are held to account. If you ever have a story you think we should be covering get in touch by emailing contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.
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